{"id":561186,"date":"2026-02-02T15:28:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T15:28:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/561186\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T15:28:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T15:28:21","slug":"equality-illinois-leader-at-2026-gala-organization-built-to-face-political-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/561186\/","title":{"rendered":"Equality Illinois leader at 2026\u00a0gala: Organization \u201cbuilt to face\u201d political challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"

Equality Illinois\u2019s new CEO, Channyn Lynne Parker, gave the keynote at the rights-advocacy\u2019s 2026 annual\u00a0gala\u00a0the evening of Jan. 31, where she asserted that the event, which according to estimates hosted about 1,500 attendees, was \u201cnot just a\u00a0gala\u2014it is a sanctuary.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Parker praised both Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, both of whom were in attendance that evening at the Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave. Both politicians, she said, made clear that \u201cdignity is not conditional\u201d in the state.<\/p>\n

\"\"Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Photo by Kat Fitzgerald\/Mystic Images Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. Photo by Kat Fitzgerald\/Mystic Images Photography<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cAnd yes\u2014abolish ICE,\u201d to loud applause. \u201cHands off our families. Hands off our cities.\u00a0 Hands off our state. Hands off our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parker, a longtime LGBTQ+-rights advocate who\u2019d been active in several Chicago organizations, was tapped as\u00a0Equality Illinois\u2019s interim CEO in June<\/a>, then\u00a0named to the position permanently in August<\/a>. She is the organization\u2019s first transgender Black leader.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She emphasized throughout her speech the need to work as a collective in order to safeguard the rights of LGBTQ+ Illinoisans and other individuals living at the margins, even as right-wing elements continue to flex their political power: \u201cThis work is strictly by coalition [and] personal acts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parker added, \u201cI promise my work continues. \u2026 Conspiracy is being used as a strategy. Chaos is being sold as inevitable.\u201d<\/p>\n

She promised that her organization is up for the challenge, however.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is the reality that Equality Illinois is built to face,\u201d Parker said, warning that giving in to outrage will surely lead to disillusionment in the the long run. \u201cOur job is not to chase every headline, or over-react ourselves into exhaustion. Our job is to make sure nothing essential collapses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parker\u2019s speech followed a stern warning from Pritzker, who said the nation\u2019s foundation principles are under attack from the federal government.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen it before in the early \u201830s, and now we\u2019re seeing it in our American cities,\u201d he said, suggesting that Chicago was a \u201ctest case\u201d for ICE. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing it all over again in Minneapolis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pritzker nevertheless called the Equality Illinois\u00a0gala\u00a0one of his favorite events each year, adding, \u201cI have so much respect for the work that you do.\u201d He further paid tribute to the work of\u00a0activist Rick Garcia, who passed away in January<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cRick has left an indelible mark on this state,\u201d Pritzker said. The evening also featured a moment of silence in Garcia\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n

Johnson congratulated Parker on her appointment, noting, \u201cHer courage [and] her lived experience are what this moment demands.\u201d He later emphasized the importance of Chicago being a safe harbor for Midwesterners and others marginalized by political oppression elsewhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether we will defeat the Trump agenda,\u201d the mayor promised.<\/p>\n

Johnson recently\u00a0appointed Antonio King, a longtime city employee and LGBTQ+ health advocate, as the City\u2019s Director of LGBTQ+ Affairs<\/a>\u00a0(King was in attendance as well). Johnson called the appointment proof that in Chicago, rights are \u201cnot an afterthought.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th Ward) also invoked Garcia\u2019s memory and further praised the work of Brian Johnson, Parker\u2019s immediate predecessor at Equality Illinois. He warned that the \u201cvictories that [Brian Johnson] led us to are under attack\u201d and that Illinoisans \u201cmust try to keep a united front.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th Ward). Photo by Kat Fitzgerald\/Mystic Images Photography<\/p>\n

Besides Robinson, Mayor Johnson and Pritzker, dozens of current and former statewide politicians and officials attended to register their support for the LGBTQ+ community this election year. Among others, they included former House Majority Leader Greg Harris; Speaker of the House Emanuel \u201cChris\u201d Welch;\u00a0 State Senate President Don Harmon; and Attorney General Kwame Raoul.<\/p>\n

Also in attendance were Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle; Cook County Assesor Fritz Kaegi; Chicago City Clerk Ana Valencia; former Illinois Human Rights Chair Mona Noriega; Secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation Mario Treto; Treasurer Mike Frerichs; Evanston Mayor (and congressional candidate) Daniel Biss; and Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.<\/p>\n

Chicago City Council Members included Alds. Stephanie Coleman (16th), Jason Ervin (28th), Felix Cardona (31st), Scott Waguespack (32nd), Samantha Nugent (39th), Andre Vasquez (40th), Timmy Knudsen (43rd), Bennett Lawson (44th) and Matt Martin (47th).<\/p>\n

State legislators included State Sens. Sara Feigenholtz, Adriane Johnson and\u00a0 Margaret DeLaRosa, as well as State Reps. Aar\u00f3n Ortiz, Kelly Cassidy, Ann Williams, Justin Cochran, Anna Moeller and Matt Hanson, as well as former State Rep. Yoni Pizer. Congressional legislators included U.S. Reps. Mike Quigley, Robin Kelly and Eric Sorensen.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo by Kat Fitzgerald\/Mystic Images Photography<\/p>\n

Cook County Commissioners included Scott Britton, Bridget Gainer, Kevin Morrison (who is also vying for a congressional seat), Alma Anaya and Bill Lowry. Skokie School Board Rep. Elana Jacobs and Niles Township Supervisor Bonnie Kahn Ognisanti were also among those in attendance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Additional presenters and presenters included Harris (an Equality Illinois board member); Board Member Zahara Bassett; Board Chairs Kelly Emery and Justin Dejong; Brian Johnson; and Co-Founder Arthur Johnston. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Equality Illinois\u2019s Freedom Award was presented by Jose \u2018Che-Che\u2019 Wilson (a candidate for the Cook County Board of Commissioners<\/a>) and River Russell to Central Illinois LGBTQ+ activist Dave Bentlin.\u00a0Gala\u00a0Co-Chairs Heather Steans and Grant Gochnaeur presented the Organization Award to Lambda Legal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo by Kat Fitzgerald\/Mystic Images Photography<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo by Kat Fitzgerald\/Mystic Images Photography<\/p>\n

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\"\"Photo by Kat Fitzgerald\/Mystic Images Photography<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Equality Illinois\u2019s new CEO, Channyn Lynne Parker, gave the keynote at the rights-advocacy\u2019s 2026 annual\u00a0gala\u00a0the evening of Jan.…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":561187,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5124],"tags":[236820,960,230438,204260,5386,1818,15418,80,19746],"class_list":["post-561186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago","tag-blacklines","tag-chicago","tag-enlavida","tag-equality-illinois","tag-il","tag-illinois","tag-nonprofits","tag-politics","tag-transgender"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116001748527931999","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=561186"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561186\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/561187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=561186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=561186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=561186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}